Velká Amerika quarry

The Velká Amerika quarry is a now disused limestone quarry located in the Central Bohemian Region, in the Bohemian Karst Protected Landscape Area. There used to be several similar quarries, of which Velká Amerika is the largest. There are also quarries Mexiko and Kozolupy nearby. They are connected by underground passages, closed for the public. Quarries Kanada, Supí lom, Pustý lom, Malá Amerika, Soví ráj, etc. are located further away. Velká Amerika is up to 80 metres deep. Most of its floor is flooded. Although the quarry is not used for quarrying any more, the place is often used as a filming location. The Czech western parody Lemonade Joe or Horse Opera (Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera) by Oldřich Lipský and many Czech fairy-tale films were filmed there.

Devonian limestone was quarried there from the late 19^th century for building purposes, but also for use in metallurgy. The Prague Ironworks company was the owner of the quarry at the time. Inadequate geological research increased the expenses, mostly for creating passages that divided limestone deposits into parts inaccessible using the technology of the time. Some of the quarries were gradually disused and after the Second World War only Velká Amerika and Kozolupy remained in use. When the communists seized power, a prisoner labour camp was established in the nearby Mexiko quarry (also called Penal Quarry). Quarrying ended in 1963.

Velká Amerika and the nearby limestone quarries are popular with tourists although they are closed for public. There is a tourist trail around the quarry and there is a parking nearby. Entrance is dangerous and every year several people get injured attempting to climb the vertical cliffs.